萌える

Japanese

Kanji in this term
萌
も
Jinmeiyō
kun’yomi

Etymology

/moju/ → /mojeru/ → /moeru/

From classical 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verb 萌ゆ (moyu).[1][2]

Derived from the 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete or irrealis form”) and 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) 萌え (moe, likely parsed as moye) + る (-ru, verb suffix), thereby shifting to 下一段活用 (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”).

Possibly cognate with 燃える (moeru, “to burn, be passionate, light ablaze”).

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) もえる [mòérú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
  • IPA(key): [mo̞e̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Verb

Japanese verb pair
active 萌やす
mediopassive 萌える

萌(も)える • (moeru) intransitive ichidan (stem 萌(も)え (moe), past 萌(も)えた (moeta))

  1. to bud, sprout
    Synonyms: 兆す (kizasu), 芽ぐむ (megumu)
  2. to be aroused (especially sexually)
  3. (by extension, slang) to feel or experience moé
    Synonym: ブヒる (buhiru)
    僕(ぼく)は、メイドさんや巫女(みこ)さんには萌(も)えない。
    Boku wa, meido-san ya miko-san ni wa moenai.
    I don’t feel anything towards maids and shrine maids.
    (Maids and shrine maids aren’t my type.)
    いまいち萌(も)えない娘(むすめ)
    Imaichi Moenai Musume
    Lacking-in-Moé-Girl
    (literally, “girl [towards which it is] kind of difficult to experience moé”)

Conjugation

Derived terms

  • 萌(も)え立(た)つ (moetatsu)

References

  1. Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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